All in the family

Seattle Times heir apparent Ryan Blethen will replace Jim Vesely as editorial page editor, the paper announced today, and while I guess I should feel disappointed to have been passed over for the job without so much as the courtesy of an interview, I’m not at all surprised, and in fact, I’m actually a little bit pleased.

Ryan’s not the most compelling writer you’ll find in a major newspaper, but I agree with Sandeep that he comes off as quite a bit less ideologically reflexive than his father or the board as a whole, and so I’d say there’s a helluva lot more potential upside from his appointment than there would be from say, Kate Riley. And while some might criticize as nepotism a publisher naming his own son to run the ed board, I think there’s something inherently more honest about this arrangement than we had with Vesely serving as a beard for the Blethen family interests. Gone are the days when the board could proclaim its editorial independence with a straight face. And that’s a good thing.

So congratulations Ryan on your new position. Now get out there and give me something good to blog about.

Seriously folks, it is wrong to be prejudiced against Mr. Blethen just because of the accident of his birth.

I am CERTAIN that Mr. Blethen is as highly qualified for HIS job as Steve Forbes, William Ford, and GW Bush were for their jobs! Look what a great news man Fox has in Chris Wallace! I am sure his Dad is so proud!

And who does not look forward to Paris Hilton running the hotels?

What is good enough for the People’s Republic of North Korea ought to be plenty good enough for the Seattle Times!

Of course, I also support Michelle for Pres in 2012 with Malia running in 2020!

@5 Ah yes, contemplate the glory of multimillion-dollar inheritance tax exemptions! None of this business of each new generation having to prove its worth and earn its own bones for us! If your great-granddaddy was successful at raising pigs or digging up silver or cutting down trees, why, that’s all you need to become a CEO! Meritocracy? We don’t need no fucking meritocracy in this country! If your daddy doesn’t own a factory or a car dealership or a newspaper — well, we’ve got openings for janitors and waitresses, too!

(Note to aspiring waitresses: Just make sure you learn your place and keep your mouth shut no matter what Stefan’s kid does, or you’ll find yourself in a food bank line!)

Some inheritances are worth more than others, though. McClatchy Newspapers, whose own stock is nearly worthless, recently said it valued its 49.5% stake in the Seattle Times at “zero,” from which we may infer the Blethen family’s 50.5% stake is also worth nothing. Ryan might want to practice pushing a broom while he still has a chance to get paid for it. At least that’s a transferable skill. It’s hard to transform executive experience in a family business into another executive position after the family business goes tits up, because bankruptcy doesn’t look good on a resume.

5 and 6
Affirmative action is, of course, wrong. Affirmative action gives people advantages just because of things they were born with, like their skin color. As we know, everybody else earns their station in life. The rich and powerful always rise to the top because of their talent, wisdom, nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic, and, of course, their moral superiority. We know these things. Being born rich, with a well-connected family, does not endow a child with any benefits with regard to success as an adult. I don’t grasp how everyone doesn’t grasp these facts.

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